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[IndonesiaWarMinister]

Wait wait wait...

Krakatoa? ...

[Aqizzar]

I was wondering when you'd turn up.  Yes, my hypothetical demonstration of future conflict takes place in a 2030's Indonesia wracked by civil war.  Not that I'm giving too much away with that.

As you can probably guess, I know essentially nothing about Indonesia.  But I'm not letting that stop me.

[Zai]

As you can probably guess, I know essentially nothing about Indonesia.  But I'm not letting that stop me.

Alternate universe/timeline?

[Servant Corps]

I was wondering when you'd turn up.  Yes, my hypothetical demonstration of future conflict takes place in a 2030's Indonesia wracked by civil war.  Not that I'm giving too much away with that.

As you can probably guess, I know essentially nothing about Indonesia.  But I'm not letting that stop me.

Many wargames are set in a fake nation, so as to ensure that nobody gets offended.

Actually, when you said peacekeeping, you mean all we have to do is ensure that neither side attack each other right? We aren't suppose to kill anyone...right? Just keep the peace?

[Aqizzar]

Actually, when you said peacekeeping, you mean all we have to do is ensure that neither side attack each other right? We aren't suppose to kill anyone...right? Just keep the peace?

I didn't want to spend too much time detailing it beforehand, but I can't resist.  It's more than a peacekeeping action.  What I do know is that the region has about a dozen different possible flashpoints - the myriad factions within Indonesia itself, the countless separatist movements out in the Pacific islands, China trying to exert control over any patch of ocean that might have oil, a communist insurgency in the Philippines, countries like Cambodia and Myanmar that still teeter on the verge of expansionist dictatorships, rampant piracy, drugs, and other organized crime, and the looming threat of environmental disaster from global warming.  What I can make out of that...

Dateline: Indonesia, 2035.  An intense and widely disputed election turns first to incrimination, then coup and counter-coup as the last vestiges of democratic legitimacy crumble.  Factionalism sweeps the sub-continent as every island and city defaults into being it's own nation-state.  Millions of desperate refugees flee for Australia on anything that can float.  Malaysia goes into system shock when their trickle of foreign investment disappears.  What remains of legitimate authorities in Vietnam and Cambodia are slaughtered as international criminal gangs mobilize to capitalize on the chaos.  And like with any collapsing democracy, all the Islamist, Communist, and (Insert Faith Here) crazies starting popping out of the woodwork.  Meanwhile, New Guinea and the Solomons vanish off the map as their constituent islands claim any shipping routes and gunboats they can, and Myanmar and Thailand are ready to go to blows over water rights.

No one nation has the power to pacify an archipelago of a half-billion people, or the wherewithal to entangle themselves in such a giant shitstorm.  So the U.N. votes to flex it's newest muscle, the Extraordinary Volunteer Force Resolution (better name needed), the closest it's ever had to physical authority.  An international military built from units volunteering out of standing armies, and answering to the Security Council, will try to bring some semblance of order back to South-East Asia before the cascading violence draws in China or obliterates oceanic trading.  And hey, while were at it, why not stamp out piracy and drug cartels too.  Despite it's absurd mission orientation and tired cries of a New World Order from back home, the industrialized nations sign on as one, seeing a great opportunity to score diplomatic brownie points, buy up new military hardware, and save vital sweatshops and coffee plantations.  In addition to protecting democracy and the world economy of course.

Basically, it's a great environment for the GM, because I can hamstring the players any way I want, and throw them against an endless variety of enemies with all sorts of toys.  And that's even without any crazy extras...

[Servant Corps]

Ah, alright. So, this is a Peacemaking mission, not a Peacekeeping mission. Peacekeeping implies all you do is try to keep the peace, but Peacemaking states that you are there trying to restore peace in the region.

Hm. So, we're stuck in Indonesia, and our goal is to:
1) Stamp piracy out.
2) Stamp illegal drug cartels.
3) Restore 'peace' in the region:
---Prevent the violence from touching Chinese soil.
---No oblieration of the Oceanic Trade

Are we allowed to actually talk and make deals with the factions on the ground? Or, are we hostage to the whims of the United Nations Security Council?

[IndonesiaWarMinister]

Actually, the Islamists would made a Caliphate already if there is a chaos like that.

Alliances of Religious and the Seculars.

Jakarta would be a mega-city that spans from the West Java until, eh, Central? If there is no effective transmigration policy by the previouses government, Java would be full already, and food would have been growed in the outer islands.

Also, global warming would take a toll, and Indonesian's landmass would shrink. (and there will be NO way to support a half billion people. Except if they have managed to fill EVERY islands and the Malayans manages to successfully invade Papua... AND BEYOND. Or if the global warming has been stopped.)

Of course, the dissidents from the previous stable governments WILL already have a strong grip on the rural community. There would be those who stay faithful to the Pancasila, those who proclaim their pan-Islamism, those who wants power and wealth for them selves, and those who can't, or won't care. They just want to survive.

I'd say the Sumatra would be overran with Islamists already. Kalimantan... Perhaps. However, Java would be the most secular region in there. Sulawesi... I can't model about that. Bali, if the previous governments are corp-friendly NEO LIBERALISTS PUPPETS, would have been sold lend to a multi-corporation bidder. The sea would be a very contested resources, especially if there are an effective way to grow seaweeds and ... farm fishes? man-grown fishes?

Phillipinnes would have been invaded from the south already. Or perhaps it is them who invades their southern neighbours?

Islamists in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam would made alliances with the Islamists in Indonesia already. The Arabs would support them. If they still exist as a world power, of course. Perhaps Russia would too...

If the prediction is right, Africa would have been empty (AIDS) in 2035. Perhaps there are re-colonization efforts in Africa?

Won't American Empire would be destroyed by 2035 already? The strongest powers would be EU, Brazilian Empire (South America), India (They would try to have South East Asia as their reign of influence), and China (same as India). Perhaps Russia. Or the New America. Or the re-colonized Africa. Canada?

Of course, if the Developed nations Aqizzar talked about are America and EU, India and China would be wary of the Western's involvements in their 'backyard'.

And, the most pro-western sentiment would be in Java. The other islands, not so much. And there would be many Anti-Western pockets in Java too... However, the city-dwellers would have access to the internet, and it is them who can testimony to the world at large...

... OK, I think this post is very confusing. Kudos to you who can read this and UNDERSTAND.

[Aqizzar]

IWM, even if you are a little nutty, that's probably the most helpful information I've gotten so far.  I'll need some time to digest it all.  One thing I should point out - the half-billion population is for the whole region combined (Myanmar out to the International Dateline) and slightly greater to account for 25 years of growth.

Are we allowed to actually talk and make deals with the factions on the ground? Or, are we hostage to the whims of the United Nations Security Council?

Yes and no.  Certainly that kind of dirty political gamesmanship is happening, but happening elsewhere.  The game will focus on a combined-arms mechanized infantry division, for taking out targets too dangerous for the Gendarmarie but not open to artillery or air attack.  The players specifically are company commanders (Captains or the national equivalent), the lowest level of people who get to make decisions without leaving the base.  Of course, while live negotiations are going on, you might have to give your troops bullet-by-bullet permission to keep shooting (or start shooting), should the UN's official consideration of your targets change during the mission...

[Little]

I can understand it!

Of course, we shouldn't only be dealing with crazy religious extremists and drug cartels. There should be quite a few points of absolute anarchy(whether they start that way or deteriorate to it is up to you) where innocent civilians are everywhere, some of them armed, enemies tucked it with them with everybody shooting and looting and throwing Molotov cocktails at whoever their perceived enemy is.

It'd place the player in quite a few interesting scenarios. Would you try to suppress riots, and using what amount of force? Is that man looting, or is he going through the scattered remains of his own home? In a crowded market, shots break out over an unknown dispute. The crowd starts to scatter, but a grenade explosion rips through the air and sends the crowd into a panicked frenzy. The balcony your squad is on has a decent view, but you really can't figure out what you should be doing. Do you head down and try to find whoever fired off the shots or threw the grenade, or stand still knowing dozens saw you and will be all to happy to shout how the UPKD(United Peace-Keeping Deployment) troops just sat there and watched as people died?

It could be an awesome game. I so want in! 

[IndonesiaWarMinister]

And yeah, International (read: Enlightened masses in the Western country) tensions should be bad.
Of course, we should model research breakthroughs (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScienceMarchesOn)... Would be funny if some random teens anarchists groups start to using kamikaze robots against you...

[Aqizzar]

Oh yes, that's just the sort of thing I had in mind, but with one hitch.  There's a lot of science floating around promising various forms of wireless tasers - namely where a laser ionizes a path through the air to conduct a taser charge over a couple dozen yards.  At first I though it sounded like just the sort of thing the 2030's might promise, and it fits the setting in that the UN would have a much easier time talking the world into giving it an army if it promised that every soldier would carry a nonlethal takedown weapon.  So it's a useful, futuristic option in your technical repertoire, but it suddenly strikes me as a magic wand for defusing so many situations.

On the other hand, it still makes sense for the setting.  And it's good game sense in that it gives you a tool that doesn't screw up public opinion so much, but is easily fouled or defended against.  Plus it adds a nice bureaucratically dystopian angle - fighting a war where no one dies; hostile targets are zapped and cufftaped, then released because the UN can't hold POWs, and you wind up fighting the same people over and over.  Anybody got an opinion on that?

Random unaligned hostility is definitely in the cards, with another thing I forgot to mention for Servant's question.  One of your unit options will be a sort of Public Relations squad - infantry specially trained to deal with bystanders.  Good for cajoling or threatening information out of people, negotiating with neutral forces you stumble into, and defusing (or even directing) riots.


Sounds like I have some interested players too.  I've got Little, Servant Corps, probably zaithmaster, and I know Strife will be interested since I promised him a spot.  I'm debating whether I should take four or five people.  Of course, I still need to get the AAAA into a playable state, and post some of those revelations I've been promising for days.

[IndonesiaWarMinister]

Can I be a rebelz ?

Sounds good to be able to DESTROY THE EVIL, JEW-MADE UN!!!!!!!!!! (He he he)

Of course, I should be a weak faction. And limited in scope.
So you, Aqizzar, can make MANY NPC.

[Aqizzar]

I guess you're entitled to post in the thread if you feel like it, and offer me suggestions on what to do, but I'd rather control all the moving parts myself.  But you'll have to promise not to be so spazmatic.

[Jack_Bread]

Start one already.

EDIT: Oh, right. Please.

[Aqizzar]

Hey, I'm a damn lazy man.  Head over to the AAAA thread if you want to pressure me, because I'm committed to getting that into something called "progress" first.